Definitely Maybe is the debut album by English band Oasis, released on August 30th 1994. It was an immediate commercial and critical success in the UK, having followed on the heels of singles "Supersonic", "Shakermaker" and particularly the popular "Live Forever".

Definitely Maybe went straight to number one and 7x platinum in the UK Album charts on initial release. It was the fastest selling debut album of all time in the UK when released. Definitely Maybe marked the beginning of Oasis' success in America, selling over 1 million copies there, although only reaching #58 on the Billboard 200. The album went on to sell over 7.5 million copies worldwide.

In 1997 Definitely Maybe was named the 14th greatest album of all time in a 'Music of the Millennium' poll conducted by HMV, Channel 4, The Guardian and Classic FM. In 2005 Channel 4's '100 Greatest Albums' countdown placed the album at number 6. In 2006 NME placed the album third in a list of the greatest British albums ever, behind The Stone Roses and The Queen Is Dead. In a recent British poll, run by NME and the book of British Hit Singles and Albums, Definitely Maybe was voted the best album of all time with The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band finishing second and Revolver third. Q magazine readers placed it at five on their greatest albums of all time list in 2006 and in that same year NME hailed it as the greatest album of all time. It is frequently referred to as the greatest debut album of all time.

Album History
In 1994, Oasis were seen as a distant echo of the moribund 'Madchester' scene which had exploded in the early 1990s. Unlike other Madchester bands who indulged in experiments with funk, dance or hip-hop, Oasis presented themselves as a relatively straightforward rock and roll band. Along with bands like Blur and The Verve they seemed to encapsulate a new wave, one which did not yet have a name. By the end of the year the media coined the term Britpop, of which Definitely Maybe retrospectively became one of the pivotal albums.

Many of the songs had originally appeared on Oasis' "Live Demonstration" demo recorded in Liverpool the year before with Chris and Tony Griffiths of The Real People. The main recording sessions took longer than expected, with the bulk of the album having to be recorded three different times with Mark Coyle producing, before Owen Morris came up with a mix that everyone was satisfied with. The album cost nearly £85,000 to produce, a huge amount of money for a debut album at the time.

The album title, according to Noel Gallagher, comes from a poster he saw in a pub, although he cannot remember what the poster was advertising.

The following statement by Noel Gallagher, was posted on the Official Oasis Site on August 28th 2009.

"It's with some sadness and great relief to tell you that I quit Oasis tonight. People will write and say what they like, but I simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer."Apologies to all the people who bought tickets for the shows in Paris, Konstanz and Milan."

Oasis were due to play the Rock en Seine festival in Paris but cancelled at the last minute. When the support band said Oasis would not be performing, many fans thought it was a joke, but then screens at either side of the stage showed this message: "As a result of an altercation within the band, the Oasis gig has been cancelled."

Biggest Album Definitely Maybe, September 1994 – No 1; 177 weeks in chart

I once said that I wrote songs ‘for the man who buys the Daily Mail and 20 Bensons every day’. And I meant that at the time. I’d consider myself to be just an average man in the street who’s been blessed with a talent to write songs. I don’t write songs for the Observer or The Guardian, or for the NME or Mojo. I’m not bothered about pushing the envelope. I wanted everyone to like Oasis, not just some people in Oxford, a few people in Hull and a couple of people in Glasgow.

I learned long ago not to go looking for songs. If it comes, it comes; if it doesn’t, it doesn’t. I’m not standing on the runway waiting for the aliens to appear going, ‘Come on.’ It just never happens, does it?

I only listen to music from, or derived from, the 1960s. I’m not interested in jazz or hip-hop or whatever’s going round at the minute; indie rubbish. I don’t listen to avant-garde landscapes and think, ‘I could do that.’ I’m not a fan of Brian Eno. It’s Ray Davies, John Lennon and Pete Townshend for me.

All that Definitely Maybe, Morning Glory, Be Here Now stuff was written while I was still on the dole. I had the chords, the arrangements, the melodies; just bits of lyrics to fill in. You start off writing songs, you’re not sure who’s going to hear them. Then when I tried to write the next batch, I was like, ‘We’ve 20 million fans.’ Then your records become eagerly anticipated and you start going, ‘Umm, I might go to the pub today.’
If you wrote Digsy’s Dinner (from Definitely Maybe) now, The Guardian or the music papers would destroy you. It’s a song about going to someone’s house for lasagne – you only write songs like that when you’re free of inhibitions.

It’s not natural for me to say to my missus, ‘I’m going to the country to write an album.’ That was Be Here Now. I had all the music but not the words. We were starting in two weeks, so I went to some Caribbean island and I thought I’d do it all in two weeks. I listen to those words now and I just cringe. I was heavily into drugs at that point and I just didn’t give a damn.

All the songs I like, they’re not written by songwriters pulling scabs off themselves. I’m not interested in all of John Lennon’s stuff about his mother, because it doesn’t mean anything to me. How can Mother mean anything to anybody apart from John Lennon? It can’t, because he’s singing it about his mother, not mine. The abusive father I had belongs to me. And I wouldn’t want to share any of that or to put it into a song.
‘Slowly walking down the hall’ (from Champagne Supernova) is from either Chigley or Trumpton. Which is the one with the train?

Rocker Noel Gallagher cringes every time he hears a song from Oasis' 1997 album Be Here Now, insisting the tracks make no sense as he was drug-addled when he wrote them.

The guitarist worked at a breakneck pace to record the hotly-anticipated follow-up to (What's The Story) Morning Glory?, but just weeks before heading into the studio with his bandmates he realised he had no lyrics for the songs.

Gallagher decided to spirit himself away in a Caribbean bolthole to write the words, and he has regretted his decision ever since.

He tells British magazine Event, "I had all the music but not the words. We were starting in two weeks, so I went to some Caribbean island and I thought I'd do it all in two weeks. I listen to those words now and I just cringe. I was heavily into drugs at that point and I just didn't give a damn."

Noel Gallagher has claimed he is an ''average man'' and insisted he writes for like-minded people rather than for the music press.

Noel Gallagher makes music for the ''average man''.

The 'Don't Look Back In Anger' hitmaker described himself as an ordinary man who happens to have ''been blessed with a talent to write songs'' and slated the idea of making music for the approval of the press.

He told the Mail on Sunday newspaper's Event magazine: ''I once said that I wrote songs 'for the man who buys the Daily Mail and 20 Bensons [cigarettes] every day'.

''And I meant that at the time. I'd consider myself to be just an average man in the street who's been blessed with a talent to write songs.

''I don't write songs for The Observer or The Guardian, or for the NME or Mojo. I'm not bothered about pushing the envelope.

''I wanted everyone to like Oasis, not just some people in Oxford, a few people in Hull and a couple of people in Glasgow.''

The singer also admitted he prefers to let his songs come naturally rather than sitting around ''looking for'' inspiration.

He added: ''I learned long ago not to go looking for songs. If it comes, it comes. If it doesn't, it doesn't.

''I'm not standing on the runway waiting for the aliens to appear going, 'Come on'. It just never happens, does it?''

"The Importance Of Being Idle" is a song on the British rock band Oasis' sixth album, Don't Believe the Truth, written and sung by lead guitarist Noel Gallagher. It was the second single released from the album in the UK, on August 22, 2005, where it debuted at #1. It was also the first time that Oasis earned two successive #1's in the same calendar year. It was written by Gallagher sometime during the summer of 2004, before the band made their final attempt at recording what would become Don't Believe the Truth. He got the title from the Mark Twain book of the same name which he found whilst cleaning out his garage (it belonged not to him but to girlfriend Sara McDonald.)

Musically, as Noel has commented, the song sounds like tunes from two British bands, The Kinks and The La's. In particular, the sentiment expressed is noticeably similar to The Kinks' "Sunny Afternoon" and "Dead End Street", and the use of falsetto for every other verse line recalls The La's "Feelin'". The guitar sound is similar also to The La's b-sides; "Clean Prophet" and "Over". It also is a breakaway from the sound of Oasis's latter albums, especially the straight ahead rock 'n' roll anthems of Heathen Chemistry. The keyboard used on the pre-chorus sections was bought by bassist Andy Bell from the auction website eBay.

Noel has said that the lyrics of "The Importance of Being Idle" are inspired by his own laziness. Some of the second verse, with the reference to begging his doctor for "one more line", seems to be referring to an actual event as this resembles Noel's account of how he gave up cocaine in 1998.

Most reviewers acclaimed the track as one of the highlights of Don't Believe the Truth, which itself was widely praised as a marked return to form. The band mentioned in interviews in June that it would become the second single, after the UK Number One "Lyla". The b-sides are Liam Gallagher's "Pass Me Down the Wine" and Gem Archer's "The Quiet Ones."

The promo film was directed by Dawn Shadforth, (whose previous videos include Kylie Minogue's award-winning "Can't Get You Out Of My Head"). Shadforth's film for "The Importance of Being Idle' starred Welsh actor Rhys Ifans and homages the style of early 1960s kitchen sink drama British films, and is set during the build up to a funeral procession in a northern town, with the extravagant undertakers parading the coffin at the video's climax and Ifans playing the part of a high-kicking funeral director. The video is based on the film and play Billy Liar with Ifans playing the role of Billy. Noel and Liam therefore play Shadrack & Duxbury, the owners of the funeral parlour where Billy works. The rest band (Gem,Andy and Zak) make a brief appearance as lazy workers playing cards in an undertaker's office. It was widely acclaimed at the time as being probably the best video Oasis had ever made, not least by the band themselves, who were said to be very happy with the finished product. The video is very similar in style and concept to the music video for "Dead End Street" by The Kinks.

Q Magazine readers placed the song at #1 in a list of 2005's greatest tracks.

The video for the song was voted the video of the year at the NME Awards.

21 August 2013

Former Swedish House Mafia star Steve Angello "felt bad" for the stars of Beady Eye when he was handed their coveted headline slot at a U.K. music festival over the weekend (17-18Aug13).

The Dj was drafted in to replace the rock group at Virgin Media's V Festival after the band's guitarist Gem Archer suffered a fractured skull in a fall at his home, forcing them to pull out of a number of summer (13) gigs.

Angello admits he couldn't believe his luck when he was offered the prestigious place in the line-up, but he felt sad it came at the expense of Liam Gallagher's band.

He tells Britain's Daily Star, "It was a very un-Dj line-up so I didn't know what to expect but I was excited to be taking over headlining from Beady Eye... I don't play Beady Eye songs, but I should have thought about doing something for them as I felt bad when I was asked to take the slot.

"I checked what happened and (I was told) one of the guys had fallen and hit his head. It's never nice to take somebody's slot because their fans are there."

Be Here Now is the third studio album by the English rock band Oasis. Released on August 21 1997, the album was highly anticipated by both music critics and fans as a result of the band's previous worldwide successes with their 1994 debut album Definitely Maybe, and its 1995 follow up (What's the Story) Morning Glory?. The album's pre-release build up led to considerable hype within both the music and mainstream press. At that point, Oasis were at the height of their fame, and Be Here Now became the UK's fastest selling album to date, selling over 420,000 units on the first day of release alone, and over one million within two weeks. As of 2007, the album has sold eight million copies worldwide.

Oasis' management company Ignition were aware of the danger of overexposure, and before its release they sought to control the media's access to the album. Ignition's campaign included limiting pre-release radio airplay, and requesting that journalists sign gag agreements. These tactics resulted in the alienation of members of both the music and mainstream media, as well as many industry members connected with the band. Ignition's attempts to limit pre-release access to the album only served to fuel large scale speculation and publicity within the British music scene.

Artistically Be Here Now failed to live up to the expectations that preceded its release. Although initial reviews were positive, retrospectively the album is viewed by much of the music press and by most members of the band as over-indulgent and bloated. In 2007, Q magazine described Be Here Now as "a disastrous, overblown folly—the moment when Oasis, their judgement clouded by drugs and blanket adulation, ran aground on their own sky-high self-belief." The album's producer Owen Morris said of the recording sessions: "The only reason anyone was there was the money. Noel had decided Liam was a shit singer. Liam had decided he hated Noel's songs [...] Massive amounts of drugs. Big fights. Bad vibes. Shit recordings." None of its songs were included on the band's 2006 "best of" compilation album Stop the Clocks.

Album cover
The cover image to Be Here Now was shot at the Stock Hotel in Hertfordshire in April 1997. It features the band standing outside the hotel surrounded by assorted props. At the centre of the image is a Rolls Royce floating in a swimming pool. The photographer Michael Spencer Johns said the original concept involved shooting each band member in various locations around the world, but when the cost proved prohibitive, the shoot was relocated to the Stock Hotel. Spencer remarked that the shoot "degenerated into chaos", adding that "by 8pm, everyone was in the bar, there were schoolkids all over the set, and the lighting crew couldn't start the generator.

It was Alice in Wonderland meets Apocalypse Now." Despite various meanings people have tried to read into the selection of the cover props, Johns said Gallagher simply selected items from the BBC props store he thought would look good in the picture. Two of the props that had considered thought in their inclusion were the inflatable globe (intended as a homage to the sleeve of Definitely Maybe) and the Rolls Royce, which was suggested by Arthurs. The release date in each region was commemorated on the calendar pictured on the sleeve; Harris said the dating "[encouraged] fans to believe that to buy a copy on the day it appeared was to participate in some kind of historical event."

18 August 2013

Beady Eye's Gem Archer is making "slow and steady" progress following his accident earlier this month (August 1), his wife Lou has revealed.

The guitarist was hospitalised on August 1 with severe head trauma, forcing Beady Eye to cancel all scheduled live performances for August, including appearances at this weekend's V Festival. It has since been reported that Archer fractured his skull after falling down a flight of stairs at home.

The guitarist's wife Lou used Twitter yesterday (August 17) to thank fans for their support and answer questions about Archer's recovery progress. In a series of replies to well-wishers, she revealed that the guitarist is "very poorly" but called him a "tough 'un" and said that "slow and steady, he's getting there".

Asked by @JamesMoon whether Archer is likely to be back in action before the end of the year, Archer replied: thanks James.. I really don't know. He needs to mend, how long it will take I'm not sure. He's a tough cookie ☺ xxx

ou Archer also confirmed that her husband's former Oasis bandmate Noel Gallagher has sent her husband his regards, saying: "Of course he has!"

A big thank you to everybody who’s been in touch to give messages of support for Gem following his accident. He and his family really appreciate it and so do the band. We are gutted about all the cancelled shows but thank you for understanding that we need to prioritise our mate and his recovery. The good news is Gem is doing well so far and is expected to make a full recovery over the next few weeks. This is just to say thanks for your patience, and for all the messages that have come in from all over the world. We are buzzing about getting back on stage for the UK and Ireland dates in November. Thanks, Beady Eye.

17 August 2013

Noel Gallagher has denied that he has been working on new material with former Blur rival Damon Albarn.

Earlier this year, Albarn and Gallagher put two decades of Britpop animosity behind them when they performed together at London's Royal Albert Hall for a Teenage Cancer Trust gig. Albarn's bandmate Alex James has recently claimed the pair are "like best mates now" and even said last week that they are "working together on a lot of stuff".

Responding to these comments during an appearance on talkSPORT Radio on Thursday (August 15), Gallagher said: "I read that Alex James said that - [but] it's news to me!"

However, Gallagher confirmed that he has started work on a new Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds album. "I've got tons of songs left over from the last one. I'm writing, putting stuff together. Yeah, I'll definitely make another one, that's for sure," he said. "I don't wanna go back out on the road, though - that's the thing."

Discussing his reluctance to hit the road again, Gallagher explained that his last tour lasted for 15 months and added: "I only stopped touring last year. I wouldn't wanna go and see me once every two years - I've got no stage presence, there's nothing going on." However, he then conceded "I got into it though... yeah, I'll have to go on the road again."

During the interview, Gallagher also ruled out the possibility of reforming Oasis to mark the 20th anniversary of the band's debut album 'Definitely Maybe' next year (2014), saying: "No, it definitely won't happen."

Noel Gallagher has once again dismissed the idea of Oasis reuniting, but added: "Who knows what will happen in 20 years?"

The star, who has released one solo album since the band's split in 2009, was speaking to Andy Goldstein's talkSPORT radio show about the new Premier League season when he was asked about an Oasis comeback.

"It definitely won't happen," said Gallagher. "Look, who knows what will happen in 20 years? But 20 years from now, I'll be what, 30, 40? No, I'll hopefully have retired by then."

Asked what it would take for Oasis to reunite, given Gallagher is already a multimillionaire, he replied: "If I felt like it. Yes, [it'll be my decision]."

The guitarist also spoke about plans for a second solo record, confirming that he has one in the works.

"I've got tons of songs left over from the last one. I'm writing, putting stuff together. Yeah, I'll definitely make another one, that's for sure. I don't wanna go back on the road, though - that's the thing," he added.

Of reports he is working with Blur's Damon Albarn, Gallagher revealed: "I read that Alex James said that - it's news to me!"

"He had a full Irish with a Guinness head," said Neil. "He said he wanted to go out a do a spot of surfing but the conditions weren't great so he came in for some breakfast."

Liam, who has relatives in nearby Mayo, hung around the Strand bar until 12.30pm but when he began to be spotted by customers he left the venue. The most recent sighting has him in another local pub called Hargadons.

The Strand has had it's share of famous visitors in the past with Woody Harrelson and members of local lads Westlife dropping by over the years.

13 August 2013

Alex James has said in a recent interview that Noel Gallagher and Damon Albarn are working together on a lot of stuff.

Taken from an interview with sziget.hu.

How serious was the rivalry between Blur and Oasis, or was it just an excuse for the British music media?

Alex: Damon and Noel Gallagher are working together on a lot of stuff, so whatever was back then is not relevant anymore. But we have to add that young bands today are all very nice. We were totally intolerable.

11 August 2013

On August 11th 1996, Oasis played the second of two nights at Knebworth. Support for the two days included The Prodigy, Ocean Colour Scene, Charlatans, Manic Street Preachers, Kula Shaker and Dreadzone.

10 August 2013

On August 10th 1996, Oasis played the first of two nights at Knebworth. Support for the two days included The Prodigy, Ocean Colour Scene, Charlatans, Manic Street Preachers, Kula Shaker and Dreadzone.
Below is a review from THE TIMES of the show.Review: Oasis at Knebworth, 1996

One in 20 Britons applied for tickets to see Oasis in concert at Knebworth. Our critic joined the crowd on Saturday.

Three million people, 5 per cent of the population, applied for tickets and those lucky enough to get them were treated to two new songs, My Big Mouth and It's Getting Better Man , along with tried and tested hits. With a guest list of 7,000 there were plenty of opportunities for star-spotting: Mick Hucknall of Simply Red, Jarvis Cocker and Kate Moss made their way to the celebrity enclosure to compare bodyguards with Liam Gallagher and Patsy Kensit, and all looked disingenuously surprised when mobbed by amateur paparazzi.

For those not chosen as Kate Moss's plus one, there were tickets still available at a price. Cro-Magnon touts were willing to get you into "The Gig of the Decade" for £300, a sizeable mark-up from £22.50. Once inside, many would have gladly paid £300 to avoid queues. There were 400-yard tailbacks for each bar and toilet. But with the temperature into the 70s and a PA so powerful everyone was guaranteed to leave touched by tinnitus, such matters were of little importance. Oasis took to the stage at 9pm, greeted by a roar so huge that flocks of birds took to the sky from Knebworth's old oaks.

"Hello, hello, hello," Liam said, making a fairly good job of John Lennon's famous "retard" impression. "Let's go." And off they went, kicking out the music that has made the Top 40 truly exciting for the first time in ten years and working hard for the estimated £5.6 million the weekend accrued.

Joined for the inevitable encore of Champagne Supernova by The Stone Roses's ex-guitar player John Squire, Oasis bowed out in a blaze of guitar solos and a firework display. As many tired and emotional punters fell over backwards, disorientated from staring at the sky so long, Martin Carr of the Boo Radleys said: "Everyone in Britain - except Damon from Blur - loves Oasis. They can do no wrong." He would appear to be right.

9 August 2013

Beady Eye guitarist Gem Archer's mystery head injury was reportedly caused after he fell down a flight of stairs.

The axeman apparently took a tumble after he fell down a staircase in his home and fractured his skull, reports The Sun. As previously reported, Archer was hospitalised with severe head trauma following the accident on the evening of August 1. But the circumstances around his fall have not been revealed until now.

He has since been discharged from hospital but Beady Eye announced yesterday (August 8) that they have cancelled all of their scheduled live commitments in August, including performances at V Festival 2013, as Archer continues to recover from the head injury.

A statement on Beady Eye's official website reads: "Beady Eye regret to announce that they are cancelling their performance at V Festival and their remaining scheduled shows and promotional commitments in August due to guitarist Gem Archer suffering severe head trauma after an accident on August 1.

"The band apologise to fans, but under the circumstances feel they can not perform without Gem and want to focus on supporting him throughout his recovery. Gem was released from hospital yesterday evening and is recovering at home though remains under observation."

Oasis famously pulled out of the second leg of V Festival in Chelmsford in 2009 when Liam Gallagher caught viral laryngitis. The band split up a week later, meaning their show at V's Staffordshire site was their last.

8 August 2013

Beady Eye regret to announce that they are cancelling their performance at V Festival and their remaining scheduled shows and promotional commitments in August due to guitarist Gem Archer suffering severe head trauma after an accident on August 1st.

The band apologise to fans but under the circumstances feel they can not perform without Gem and want to focus on supporting him throughout his recovery.

Gem was released from hospital yesterday evening and is recovering at home though remains under observation.

"Live Forever" is a song by British rock group Oasis. Written by guitarist Noel Gallagher, the song was released as the third single from their debut album Definitely Maybe on 8 August 1994, just prior to that album's release.

Gallagher wrote the song in 1991, before he joined Oasis. Inspired by The Rolling Stones' "Shine a Light," "Live Forever" features a basic song structure and lyrics with an optimistic outlook that contrasted with the attitude of the grunge bands popular at the time. The song was the first Oasis single to enter the top ten in the United Kingdom, and garnered critical acclaim.

Background and recording
Noel Gallagher wrote "Live Forever" in 1991, while working for a building company in his hometown of Manchester. After his foot was crushed by a pipe in an accident, he was given a less-strenuous job working in the storeroom, allowing him more time to write songs. One night he was listening to The Rolling Stones' album Exile on Main St. While playing one of his own chord progressions, Gallagher noted that it sounded good against one of the vocal melodies from the album: "It was the bit from 'Shine a Light' that goes [sings], 'May the good lord shine a light on you,'" Gallagher recalled. Gallagher incorporated the melody, changing the line to "Maybe I don’t really want to know". For a period afterwards, that was the only part of the song Gallagher had completed.

The song was later instrumental in helping the band secure their record deal with Creation Records. Reflecting on when he first heard the song, Creation boss Alan McGee recalled "It was probably the single greatest moment I've ever experienced with them."

The demo version of "Live Forever" begins with an acoustic guitar intro. While recording the album version, the record's producer Owen Morris cut out this intro and replaced it with a drumbeat played by Tony McCarroll. Morris further cut a second section in Noel's guitar solo. Although Gallagher was upset, Morris felt the part had sounded "a bit like fucking Slash from Guns N' Roses".

Reception

"Live Forever" was released on 8 August 1994 as the band's third single, a month before the release of their debut album Definitely Maybe. The song had been part of the band's set for longer than a year at that point, and had amassed so many mentions in reviews of the group that "its release [as a single] had long seemed inevitable." In its review of the single, NME found "Live Forever" to be an improvement over Oasis' previous singles, concluding, "Basically, what thus far looked like obnoxious Manc arrogance suddenly looks like sheer effortlessness. A terrific record."

While Oasis' first two singles, "Supersonic" and "Shakermaker", were modestly received, it was "Live Forever" that "got the world's attention." "Live Forever" became Oasis' first top ten hit, reaching number ten on the British singles charts in 1994. In 1995, the song became the band's first chart success in the United States, reaching number two and ten on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks and Mainstream Rock Tracks charts, respectively. Noel Gallagher commented on the praise given to the song: "People said to me after 'Live Forever', 'Where are you gonna go after that?' And I was like, I don't think it's that good. I think it's a fucking good song, but I think I can do better."

"Live Forever" has garnered additional acclaim years after its release. In 2006, "Live Forever" was named the greatest song of all time in a poll released by Q; the song had ranked ninth in a similar Q poll three years before. In 2007, "Live Forever" placed number one in the NME and XFM poll of the 50 "Greatest Indie Anthems Ever". The song was selected by Noel Gallagher for inclusion on Oasis' compilation album Stop the Clocks in 2006.

Music videos

Two music videos were made for "Live Forever" for British and American airplay. The original video, directed by Carlos Grasso, features unusual imagery such as Liam Gallagher sitting on a chair affixed to a wall, and a number of scenes are devoted to the band burying drummer Tony McCarroll alive. Some of the UK version of the promotional video was filmed at the Strawberry Fields memorial, the area of New York City's Central Park dedicated to John Lennon—the single cover features 251 Menlove Avenue, the childhood home of Lennon. The American video, directed by Nick Egan, features the band playing in an office with pictures of Sid Vicious, Kurt Cobain, Jim Morrison, John Lennon, Brian Jones, Jimi Hendrix, Marc Bolan, and Bobby Moore on the wall. Both videos are included on the 2004 Definitely Maybe DVD.

6 August 2013

V Festival organisers have confirmed that Beady Eye are still scheduled to play the event later this month (August 17 and 18).

The band have been forced to cancel dates in Belgium (August 5) and Summer Sonic in Japan (August 10) after guitarist Gem Archer was hospitalised with severe head trauma. The guitarist – pictured above second from left – was involved in an accident on the evening of August 1 and was taken to hospital. A statement released by the band last night (August 5) revealed that Archer is in a stable condition but will stay in hospital under observation for the time being.

While it remained unclear whether the band would still appear at V Festivals in Staffordshire and Chelmsford later this month (August 17 and 18), organisers of the event have told NME that at present, the band's set will still go ahead. "Unless they hear otherwise they're still playing," a spokesperson for the festival's promoters said.

Speaking about playing the gig to NME earlier this year, Liam Gallagher: revealed: "I like V Festival, it's good man. I've got unfinished business there this time so I wanted to do that. I want to get back there and smash its head to fucking pieces man, let people know we’re the bollocks."

Oasis famously pulled out of the second leg of V Festival in 2009. Having played the Staffordshire site, they pulled out of Chelmsford after Liam Gallagher caught viral laryngitis. Oasis split up a week later and it would be their last gig. In July 2011, Noel Gallagher claimed that the gig was cancelled because Liam was hungover – a claim Liam then tried to sue him for. He dropped the legal action a couple of weeks later after Noel apologised.

Liam told NME earlier this year about the spat: "Noel was going round saying all that shit about me not being in bed pissed up, didn't do a gig and all that at V Festival and it was bollocks, saying I wanted to sell Pretty Green merch and it was like, 'Look, you'd better wind your neck in or I'm going to get the fucking lads on you'. He was going, "Bring it on, dickhead". So I was like, 'There you go, there’s a lawyer'."

Beady Eye's appearances at this month's V Festival are currently uncertain after cancelling shows in Belgium and Japan due to an injury sustained by guitarist Gem Archer.

Liam Gallagher’s band were due to play the Lokerse Festival is Belgium tomorrow (August 5), and the Summer Sonic in Tokyo on Saturday (August 10). Both have now been cancelled.

It’s still unclear whether Archer will be fit to play V Festival, the band’s next scheduled show after Japan, on August 17.

A statement from the group’s management read: “Due to guitarist Gem Archer’s injury, the band regret to inform fans that they will be cancelling their upcoming shows in Belgium and Japan until further notice. They are very sorry for any disappointment this will cause but as Gem in an integral part of the band there is no way that they can play without him. An update on Gem's condition will follow.”